M. Munawar - Böcker

Proceedings of the First International Conference held in Lancaster, England, July 11-14, 1988

Focusing on state-of-the-art biological testing and methods used for aquatic ecosystem health assessment, Ecotoxicological Testing of Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems evaluates the latest bioassay techniques and different types of water and sediment quality assessments. The book also explores multi-tiered approaches to making recommendations for the preservation, enhancement, and restoration of ecosystem functions as well as risk perception and communication strategies for investigators, policy makers, government agencies, and the public.The book examines the use of selective biosensors, bioassays, bioaccumulation modeling, biomarkers, gene expression analysis, and other techniques that enable scientists to measure cellular, sub-cellular, and molecular effects of low-level contaminants on various organisms and evaluate changes caused by over-exploitation, habitat modification, catchment run-off, polluting emissions, and even global warming. The chapters describe various ways to assess species diversity, organism population trends, and exposure routes to reveal tangible consequences of sediment or water toxicity. A chapter is dedicated to the role of remote sensing technologies in monitoring, prediction, and management of changes within coastal ecosystems, along with improvements in information technology and data processing that allow for the assessment of spatial variability. The last chapter summarizes the current status of techniques and strategies. Several appendices highlight the strengths and limitations of various techniques and provide references to additional literature.Contributed by leading field experts, this book is useful for post-graduate students, researchers, and regulatory professionals involved in environmental toxicology, ecosystem health, ecology, pollution monitoring, and freshwater and marine science. Ecotoxicological Testing of Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems: Emerging Techniques, Trends and Strategies presents new possibilities for prognostic tools that can be used for early detection systems and integrative approaches that foster informed decision-making consisting of evidence-based risk assessments for remediation, treatment, and maintenance in environmental and resource management

'The criterion of true beauty' , wrote Fulke Greville, 1st Baron of Burke, 'is that it increases on examination; if false, that it lessens. There is therefore something in true beauty that corresponds with right reason, and it is not the mere creation of fantasy.' The authors of this compact volume have increased the beauty of an area that is commonly and rightly ac­ knowledged to be one of the loveliest parts of the Great Lakes. They have done this by integrating the historical, industrial, and cultural influences on 'Lake Manitoulin' in sixteen manuscripts. It is enigmatic that Lake Huron, the second of the Great Lakes to be discovered by European explorers, has been the last to be adequately described Iimnologicaliy. As recently as 1966, for example, Alfred M. Beeton wrote in Limnology in North America: ' ... even a list of the more common species comprising the plankton of Lake Huron could be an original contribution to scientific literature.' Comparable statements could have been made for sediments, benthos, and water chemistry. This volume reflects a change of course and Georgian Bay and the North Channel of Lake Huron are now on the scientific map. Science is 'right reason'. Its application to Georgian Bay and the North Channel is a welcome and timely addition for the renewal of public, political, and scientific interest in the conservation of the Great Lakes.

Proceedings of the First International Conference held in Lancaster, England, July 11-14, 1988